Sustainable Tourism Development in Mountain Regions: The Case of the International East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve FINA RE!"RT Miros#a$ %limkiewi'( RSS No.: )*+),)--- Institute of Geography and Space Economy Research Support Scheme 1741/1999 Miros ł aw Klimkiewicz Final Report Poland Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland Tel.: +48-12-4226875 Fax:+48-12-4221757 e-mail: [email protected] Project duration: 1.11.1999 - 31.10.2001 (18 months full time involvement) Amount of grant awarded: Research fee 6300 USD, Additional costs 4250 USD Contents 1. Abstract 3 2. Objectives 3 3. Findings 4 4. Difficulties 6 5. Intended use of the findings and how they will be publicised 7 6. Future developments 8 7. General remarks 9 8. Specific activities 10 9. Publications and other results 14 10. Detailed summary of the results of the research 16 11. Literature (References) 2 Research Support Scheme 1741/1999 Miros ł aw Klimkiewicz Final Report Poland 1. Abstract In 1999, the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve (ECBR) was completed as the first trilateral reserve in the world. The Reserve’s area includes three National Parks and four Landscape Parks in Poland, Slovakia and the Ukraine. Cross-border tourism based on the Reserve's natural and cultural heritage premises should become a logical focus for its regional development and could progressively change the occupational profile of the local population. Taking into account a view that organisation of cross-border infrastructure for pedestrian, bicycle and horseback tourists could strengthen recreation sphere of the Reserve on one side, and a fear that new investments could negatively influence the area biodiversity on the other side, a compromise between two radical approaches is suggested. Creation a tourist mark of the Transboundary Eastern Beskid Culture and Nature Heritage Area could strengthen socio- economic situation of the region, and - at the same time - diminish human pressure in the most valuable ECBR central zone. Keywords: Biosphere Reserve, Protected Area, Tourism, Nature and Culture Heritage, Carpathians, Mountains, Sustainable Development, Transboundary Cooperation. 2. Objectives I have focused on the interaction between large-scale protected areas, socio- economic situation and tourism development. I have examined the causes and results of the interactions between environmental public policy (mountain landscape and national parks tied by the international biosphere reserve system), regional sustainable development, and tourism which can generate 3 Research Support Scheme 1741/1999 Miros ł aw Klimkiewicz Final Report Poland financial benefits, some jobs for local people on one side and the parks-and- people dilemma on the other. My approach combined participant observations, unstructured interviews and case studies. The main target of the research was the land management analysis confronted with a sustainable tourism development by defining and finding all innovative mechanisms and promising examples on one side and conflict areas on the other. The final work includes possible scenarios of the future regional development, showing its strong and weak elements. I have used a field method research. All villages situated in the biosphere reserve have served as the study sites. I have collected information from secondary and primary sources on census and other demographic and statistic data on the people and their settlements. I reviewed maps and spatial development plans of the region, scientific reports and articles. I have done quantitative analysis of the data collected presented in a form of matrixes and maps. I used unstructured interviews with park managers, local inhabitants, service providers. Opinion survey with selected experts has been applied. 3. Findings 1. East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve (ECBR) tends to suffer from being on the economic periphery and is characterised by low density of population and adverse balance of migration, socio-economic undergrowth and limited infrastructure (e.g. transportation and communication, accommodation and other services). 2. The political and economic situation following the transformations of the nineties brought new potentials of cross-border co-operation. Carpathian Euroregion became the most visible example of multilateral activities, however it has taken a long time to understand the role of initiatives stimulating a new sense of regional development. In addition, the situation of the region in question is rather complex and complicated, rooted in the 20 th century difficult and oftentimes tragic history. Under these circumstances, first of all, the elite of all three countries should strive to improve the cross- border situation. The development of market economy and entrepreneurship (sustainable tourism development) might alter negative stereotypes. Next 4 Research Support Scheme 1741/1999 Miros ł aw Klimkiewicz Final Report Poland step should be done at the local level by supporting bottom-up initiatives framed by political and legal regulations. 3. Quality and development of infrastructure, needed for regional tourism, depends strongly on the financial and administrative resources of the border region in question. More external projects, skills and know-how should be implemented in the area. Mainly in the Ukrainian and Slovakian parts of ECBR. 4. Rapidly changing geopolitical situation (European Union enlargement) influences ECBR land management including possible strengthening of cross-border co-operation. Open question is how national parts of ECBR will work together after Poland's and Slovakia's EU accession. A negative scenario shows that isolation might result in dramatically growing tourism development in Bieszczady National Park, while Uzhanski and Poloniny National Parks remain culturally and economically underdeveloped. 5. For the future tourism development, management strategies should be implemented (e.g. Local Environment Action Programme). As part of the management strategies, education of residents and visitors is critical. Codes, standards and measurements in sustainable tourism are particularly helpful. Development of initiatives supporting tourism should combine aspects of community development, and protection / promotion of the culture and nature heritage. 6. In today’s technologically oriented society (e.g. shifting from backpackers’ hiking to mountain biking, paragliding or to extreme winter sports like skialpinism or heli-skiing), park managers are in need of staying current with new developments in recreation activities in order to meet or limit the needs of new oriented tourists. 7. Taking into account a view that organisation of cross-border passages for pedestrian, bicycle and horseback tourists could strengthen recreation sphere of the Reserve on one side, and a fear that new border passes could become the regional transportation corridors on the other side, a compromise is suggested between two radical approaches. Creation a tourist mark of the Transboundary Eastern Beskid Culture and Nature 5 Research Support Scheme 1741/1999 Miros ł aw Klimkiewicz Final Report Poland Heritage Area could strengthen socio-economic situation of the region and the same time diminish human pressure in the most valuable ECBR core zone ecosystems. 4. Difficulties a. In June 2000, Dr. hab. Jerzy Groch, my PhD supervisor, died after a long cancer illness. I lost the irreplaceable scientific tutor and much more an older colleague who advised me how to proceed with the research. In January 2001, Prof. Danuta Ptaszycka-Jackowska, Institute of Space and Municipal Economy, Kraków, has become my new supervisor. Prof. Ptaszycka-Jackowska is a landscape architecture expert, dealing with modelling of the large-scale protected areas, including regional tourism development.1 After initial consultations, my new tutor convinced me to widen the doctoral work and focus on analysis of the three functions of the Eastern Carpathians Biosphere Reserve: conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, development (association of environment with development) and logistics (international network for research and monitoring). I have changed my doctoral thesis title to “Conditions of Transboundary Co-operation between Nature Protected Areas: The Case of the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve”. Collected data and findings on tourism management, made under the RSS grant, belong to the second function of a model biosphere reserve, which foster economic and human development. b. While applying for a grant, the area of the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve covered 170 190 ha. Later, the Ukrainian portion of the Biosphere Reserve was extended to 213 033 ha, covering more human 1 See: Ptaszycka-Jackowska (1993, 1995, 1997), Ptaszycka-Jackowska, Baranowska-Janota (1989). 6 Research Support Scheme 1741/1999 Miros ł aw Klimkiewicz Final Report Poland settlements. The new situation has obliged me to work more intensively than was earlier planned. c. Despite the fact that the three researched territories in Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine are directly adjacent to each other, the most immediate was the difficulty of communication and meetings with authorities, decision- makers, and protected area managers. Communication and travel sometimes have been difficult because of bad roads, poor public transportation, and lack of accommodation facilities. There are no border passes between Slovakian and Ukrainian, Ukrainian and Polish parts of BR and it takes much longer time, with many changes of public transportation, to visit the region. Of course, in